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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24547513">The Poems I Left</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NieNieDoULoveMe/pseuds/NieNieDoULoveMe'>NieNieDoULoveMe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!, haikyuu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, Angst with Sad Ending, Bokuaka - Freeform, Bokuto Akaashi, Love Confessions, Love Poems, M/M, Oblivious Bokuto Koutarou, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Akaashi Keiji, Post-Time Skip, Pro Volleyball Player Bokuto Koutarou, Rejection, Slight akatsuki, didn’t confess, maybe in another life, mutual love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:55:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24547513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NieNieDoULoveMe/pseuds/NieNieDoULoveMe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You were a good dream“</p><p>Akaashi Keiji and Bokuto Koutarou both have feelings for each other but did they want to risk everything on a single confession?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji &amp; Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Tsukishima Kei</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Poems I Left</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi!! So if you’re reading this it was inspired by one of Ben&amp;Ben’s songs so if you want the full experience listen to Lifetime by Ben&amp;Ben</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi!” Bokuto yelled, running towards Keiji with a diploma in his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Bokuto-san.” Keiji smiled and was immediately wrapped in one of Bokuto’s signature bear hugs. </span>
</p><p>“Akaashi! Can you believe it! I graduated!” Bokuto smiled but then frowned. </p><p>
  <span>He had a sour expression in his face, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto-san, are you o-” </span>
</p><p>“Akaashi! There’s something I gotta say!” Bokuto screamed, which startled Keiji and everyone around them. </p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, there’s something I wanted to say to you too,” Keiji paused, “You go first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… Uh…” Bokuto kept fidgeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on Bokuto! Do it stupid! Tell Keiji!” Bokuto yelled in his mind but managed to yell out something completely different than what he was supposed to say. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you, Keiji!”</span>
</p><p>It was the first time Bokuto had called Akaashi by his first name. </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you too, Koutarou.” Keiji frowned, tears running down his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto immediately noticed and panicked. </span>
</p><p>“Agh! Akaashi! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry!” He placed both hands on Keiji’s face and wiped the tears with his thumb. </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’m just happy you’re graduating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww! Come here!” Bokuto wrapped his arms around Keiji and Keiji did the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto tilted himself from left to right as if he was cradling Keiji’s body in his arms. </span>
</p><p>They stayed like that for a while until Bokuto spoke. </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji nods in response, wiping his face even more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, What was it that you wanted to tell me?” Bokuto asks Keiji, who was now hesitant to tell him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, I just wanted to say…” Keiji paused about looking at Bokuto, he realized he couldn’t tell him. </span>
</p><p>“Congratulations Bokuto Koutarou.” </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, there you two are!” Keiji’s mom called from behind them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, hey mom.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look at you two, come on, let me take a pic!” She pulled out her phone and motioned the two to get closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto slung his arm around Keiji and put up a peace sign with both hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snap!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Keiji's mom left it was just the two of them again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat on the bleachers laughing and talking like almost every day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, it’ll be sad not having to set any balls to you.” Keiji frowns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine! You can toss to other people! Then when we’re in the same school again you can toss to me!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it’s gonna feel so different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, then why don’t you pretend it’s me you’re setting to?”</span>
</p><p>“It’s still different.”</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry! I’ll play volleyball with you when I’m at home!” Bokuto put up a thumbs up and smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Kou,” Keiji smiled, “you always know what to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, of course! You’re my best friend!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, friends. JUST friends, that’s all we’ll ever be…” they thought. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Keiji woke up to the sound of his alarm going off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Turn it off.” The figure beside him groaned, shifting in bed beside him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning to you too, Sunshine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said morning,” Keiji hugged his tall skinny frame which earned a laugh from the blond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning.” Tsukishima replied. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Morning we’re always silent with Tsukishima and Keiji. Just a few words said here and there, just having each other’s presence was enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going home tonight right?” Tsukishima asks, turning the coffee maker on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you sure you don’t wanna come? Mom wants to meet you.” </span>
</p><p>“Yeah I can’t, sorry.” Tsukishima frowns. </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, it was last minute so I’m sure mom will understand.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say hi to Bokuto for me though, it’s been a while, 10 years I think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, when they graduated, right?” Keiji asks, which earned a small hum from Tsukishima. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto’s actually picking me up here, you wanna say hi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time though? I have work at 9.”</span>
</p><p>“4 pm.”</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, can’t, sorry.” Tsukishima pours the coffee onto two separate mugs, one with an owl and the other with a crow. </span>
</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll tell him you said hi though.”</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima placed the cups on the table in front of them and they proceeded to their daily activities. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto made it to Keiji’s condo at 4:30. </span>
</p><p>When Keiji opened the door he was immediately greeted by Bokuto with his hands stretched upwards. </p><p>
  <span>“Keiji! Hey hey hey!” </span>
</p><p>“Hello, Koutarou” Keiji smiled, motioning Bokuto to come in.</p><p>“So, how’ve you been? It’s been what? 4 years?” </p><p>
  <span>“5 actually,” Keiji smiled, making light conversation with Bokuto. “I see you on TV though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You watch my matches?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do, we’re friends after all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hehe, yeah,” Bokuto paused, “friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was silent for a while. The only thing heard was the shifting of bags, well, until Bokuto spoke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, how’s Tsukki? Heard you two started dating 4 years ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you heard? Yeah, he wanted me to tell you he said hi by the way.”</span>
</p><p>“So you two going strong?”</p><p>
  <span>“I mean yeah, I wanted to bring him along with us but it was really last minute so he couldn’t get time off work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, that’s nice.” Bokuto smiled, awkwardly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay that’s the last of my bags.” Keiji huffed, placing the fourth bag into a pile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, all that? You know we’ll only be staying there for a week right?” Bokuto jokes, grabbing the two big bags from the pile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A lot of these are gifts.” Keiji responded, lifting up the two other bags. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, it’s a two hour drive going there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto opened the door leaving Keiji to turn the lights off and locking the door behind him. </span>
</p><p>They both walked, bags in each hand, without saying one word to each other. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <span><br/>
The trip was almost three hours long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the span of three hours, Bokuto and Keiji got to talk about what they’ve been doing the past five years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they parked in front of Keiji’s house Keiji opened the door and stretched his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, I forgot how much I hated long drives.” Keiji groaned.</span>
</p><p>“Go ring the doorbell, your mom’s waiting.”</p><p>
  <span>Keiji did just that and rang the doorbell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was immediately greeted by his mother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keiji! Koutarou! Hi!” Keiji’s mom immediately wrapped her arms around Keiji. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi mom, sorry I couldn’t visit last year.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s fine, dear.” She smiled, placing her hand on Keiji’s cheek. “Look how much you’ve grown.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi Auntie!” Bokuto called, placing two of Keiji’s bags on the porch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Koutarou! Look at our star volleyball player!” Keiji’s mom jokes, followed by a laugh from the two. </span>
</p><p>“Ah, let me help you with my bags,” Keiji was about to turn around when Bokuto stopped him. </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, you catch up with your mom, I’ll bring your bags out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Bokuto went back to the car, Keiji’s mom showed Keiji to his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji was immediately filled with nostalgia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His room was the same as always, well, except there weren’t any crumpled papers or laundry scattered around the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll call Koutarou up here, you should get some rest.” Keiji’s mom shut the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji took a look around the room again and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made a lot of memories in this room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of them just happened to be with Bokuto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji lay in bed, arms sprawled in both directions, and shut his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was woken from his trance when Bokuto entered his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where should I put these?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just place them with the rest of my bags, thanks.” Keiji shut his eyes again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See ya tomorrow Keiji!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door closed and Keiji fell asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning Keiji looked through his old things. </span>
</p><p>A lot of old clothes, which actually hold a lot of memory. </p><p>
  <span>He pulled a box from the top shelf and the components of the box spilled all over the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, fuck.” Keiji groaned, picking up the envelopes when he realized what they were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These are still alive?” Keiji thought, looking at the date of each and every envelope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not like Keiji needed these anymore, plus it would be embarrassing if someone else had found them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He placed the box on the computer table and went through the rest of his things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found a lot of things, the most important find just happened to be his Fukurodani volleyball jersey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He never realized when Bokuto had entered his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Keiji! Oh it’s your old Fukurodani Jersey!” Bokuto looked closely at the number 4 printed on the back. “No way! You were captain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, good times.” Keiji smiled, looking back at his old jersey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Speaking of volleyball! You wanna play?” Bokuto asks out of the blue, which earns a smile from the black haired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you’d never ask.”<br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few of their relatives joined the game, mostly cousins, but also Bokuto’s younger brother and niece. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, Keiji and Bokuto had to be in the same team. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto-san!” Keiji set the ball towards Bokuto’s direction where he immediately spiked the ball through the other side of the net. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not fair you two are amazing at volleyball! The teams are unfair!” One of Keiji’s cousins huffed, followed by a pout. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, what can I say, Keiji and I are the perfect pair.” Bokuto slung his arm around Keiji and put on a big grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph! I want uncle Kou on our team!” The 13 year old pointed at Bokuto. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry kiddo, where Keiji goes I go!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you and uncle JiJi can come to our team!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or two of you versus 7 of us!” Bokuto’s younger brother suggested. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto looked at Keiji who just nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, sounds fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with a set and a spike, Bokuto and Keiji won in the end. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, I’m beat.” Keiji sat down on the couch, fanning himself with his hand. </span>
</p><p>Keiji’s mom care in and when she noticed the two, covered in dirt and sweat she spoke. </p><p>
  <span>“Look at you two, you’re a mess,” Keiji’s mom huffed and pointed up the stairs. “Both of you take a shower and get dressed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two nodded, knowing that the one rule in the house was to NEVER make Keiji’s mom angry, and went to Keiji’s room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji immediately went through his bags searching for a shirt that would fit Bokuto’s frame. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he found a shirt he threw it at Bokuto’s direction </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna take a shower first or should I?” Keiji asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You go.” Bokuto answers, sitting on Keiji’s bed and scrolling through his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he got dressed, he got out of the bathroom and called for Bokuto. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Koutarou it’s your turn.” He called but Bokuto was preoccupied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji saw Bokuto sitting on the desk chair with the box of envelopes on his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck.” Keiji muttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had two letters in his hand and was looking at his name written on the front of the envelope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Keiji, what are these?” Bokuto asks the smaller male.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, I was supposed to throw those away.” Keiji immediately grabbed the box from Bokuto’s lap but wasn’t quick enough to grab both letters in Bokuto’s hand. One letter was still in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re addressed to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These were dated 8 years ago.” Bokuto pointed at the top left of the papers. “Back in college?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was greeted with silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I?” Bokuto points at the letter in his hands. </span>
</p><p>“You can read it, I won’t stop you.” Keiji paused, “but before you do, please don’t see me any different.”</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto dipped the envelope open and pulled out the folded paper inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a poem. <br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Oh how I wanted you to see</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Exactly what you do to me</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>How you lit up my entire world</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>By just saying a single word</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>There’s a place for you in my heart</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>In yours I doubt I have a part</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But how I wanted you to see</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Exactly what you did to me</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I say “did” like it’s in the past</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But how could I move on that fast</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Just when I wanted you to see</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Exactly what you did to me</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I love you’s what I want to say</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But the fear you’d cast me away</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It looms at the back of my mind</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>My feelings for you remained blind</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>And the thing that you did to me</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Is what I wanted you to see</em>
  </b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Keiji loved me…” the thought that would haunt Bokuto Koutarou for the rest of his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when?” Bokuto put the folded paper down on his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since third grade”</span>
</p><p>Bokuto had realized that while he was scared of letting his feelings out, Keiji was doing the exact same thing. </p><p>
  <span>He realized that if he would have said something that day, he could be the one Keiji called “Sunshine”, that he could be the face Keiji wakes up to every morning, that he would be the one who stayed with Keiji and not Tsukishima. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He realized that he shouldn’t have held back, that he should have taken the chance. </span>
</p><p>It was enough to send Bokuto into a laughing fit. </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you laughing-” Keiji was cut off by the sound of sniffling, “Koutarou? Shit did I say something wrong?” </span>
</p><p>Keiji knelt down and looked at Bokuto’s face, which was a mix of regret, sadness, happiness, and confusion. </p><p>
  <span>“Have your feelings stopped?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji didn’t know what to say at first, but after a few seconds he responded with a shake of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feelings never stop,” Keiji paused, “I may not be IN love with you anymore but I do love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were my first love.” Keiji added. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto could only nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funny isn’t it? If only I was brave enough.” Bokuto smiled, wiping his tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brave enough for what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brave enough to confess that day.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto covered his face with his hands and shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I was supposed to tell you before I graduated highschool.” He put his hand down, “I chickened out because I thought it would be awkward between us if I confessed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Keiji was silent, Bokuto was expecting him to say something like “I don’t like you anymore” or “I moved on” but he didn’t. Instead he spoke softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if this is going to make it better or worse but I was planning to as well.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto looked at Keiji, who had regret written all over his face. But he was smiling?</span>
</p><p>“Why didn’t you?”</p><p>“The same reason as you,” Keiji dug through the box of letters and grabbed one with the date of Bokuto’s graduation.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>4/26/12</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave the letter to Bokuto, who took it with shaky hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the reason why I never confessed.” Keiji pointed at the letter as if signaling Bokuto to open it. </span>
</p><p>And he did. </p><p>
  <span>The first thing Bokuto saw was a picture of him and Keiji both with medals in hand. Bokuto was wearing a toga and had his arm slung around Keiji’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second was another poem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So similar yet so different from the other letter he read.<br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So full of life yet so lifeless...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>so beautiful yet so sad...</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It’s funny isn’t it?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I wanted to do it</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But why couldn’t I?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It was three simple words</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I can’t find the right rhyme</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But I can express it</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>How much I love you</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Both friendly and romantic</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Congratulations Bokuto Koutarou”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Why did I say that</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Those aren’t the words I want to say</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But why did I?</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Why was I scared?”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Why couldn’t I say it?”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Why was I doubtful?”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Why did it feel wrong?”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I wanted to say I love you</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>That I have for a while now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But what if you didn’t feel the same</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>What if you would leave me?</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I was scared, I love you. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But I can’t lose you</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>After all,</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I don’t want to risk everything </em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>We had a good relationship </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But did I want to ruin it?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So I didn’t say the three words</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Three words that showed my love</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was happy with what we had,” Keiji wiped the tears that blurred his vision. “I didn’t want to risk it all just because of my feelings.”</span>
</p><p>“Fate is cruel, huh.” Bokuto smiled. </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, to think that if we said something that day something could have happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will forever be my biggest regret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was silent between them, the sound of sniffling was the only thing that kept them aware of each other’s presence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s probably a shitty thing to say but I actually want to try.” Bokuto muttered out of the blue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Koutarou.” Keiji paused, “I’m sorry, I know you mean well but I can’t, I have Kei now and well, I was planning to propose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto just nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji had moved on while he didn’t, he was still pining for a love that would never happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were a good dream…” Bokuto looked up at Keiji with a forced smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji placed his hand on Bokuto’s face and wiped away the year streaks with his thumb. </span>
</p><p>“Maybe in another life, Koutarou.”</p><p>
  <span>The smile on Keiji's face was soft, but tears never stopped running down his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you in that other life, Keiji.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~ E N D ~</span>
</p>
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